Truth and Daring

I've been on a bio-streak recently. No, that isn't some sort of mad-scientist experiment. I've just read a lot of good books about fascinating lives.
It's interesting that there are so many versions of biographies – memoir, autobiography, epistolary account, biography, fictionalized bio, and more.
Two very different tales of larger-than-life characters were recent favorites: One is truth and the other is a daring tale of fiction.

Grace: A Memoir

by Grace Coddington
If Anna Wintour is the "devil" at Vogue, then you can call Grace Coddington the sorcerer behind the scenes. She is the creative force that has given Vogue's photo layouts their distinctive flair for decades.
This very candid memoir, perfect for anyone interested in the oh-so-snarky fashion world, follows Coddington's career from its beginning as a '60s Brit model who first wore Sassoon's famous five-point cut, to her work with British Vogue, then Calvin Klein, and then her amazingly long-term career at Vogue's American flagship.
She is just as open about her personal life, her ups-and-downs with co-workers and colleagues (including La Wintour), her sister's death, her marriages, and her 30-year relationship with her current flame, Didier Malige.
Not only is this a fun "insider's" read on the industry and a look at the creative process, but Coddington's signature quirkiness is also spotlighted, including her little pen-and-ink sketches of Vogue staffers, industry insiders, and her two cats.

Sutton

by J.R. Moehringer
Now this is a biography of another color. Touted as a "non-fiction novel," Pulitzer-Prize winning author J.R. Moehringer takes the real-life account of bank robber Willie Sutton and weaves it into a daring and fascinating tale of right vs. wrong, truth vs. fiction.
Sutton grew up in Brooklyn during the tough 1920s with luck already turned against him. His father was a blacksmith at the time when cars were hitting the streets, he was an Irish immigrant in a city that looked down on "his type," and he was one of the millions caught in vicious cycles of recessions and depressions in the early 20th century.
Those formative early years fed a deep anger and resentment in Sutton, particularly at the banks that he saw as the cause of all the financial woes of his generation. That simmering frustration found an outlet in crimes against those very banks. Styling himself as a modern-day Robin Hood, Sutton had a fruitful 30-year career robbing banks throughout New York and New Jersey. Ever the gentleman, he relied on disguises and guile rather than violence to commit his crimes, priding himself on never firing a shot.
During his several stints in prison, Sutton studied up on the classics and philosophical tomes, trying to find meaning in his life, and his crimes.
Moehringer finds a clever way to pull us into Sutton's life and mind with this fictionalized account, full of twists and turns.

Both of these books breathe life into the biography genre, making truth more compelling with a generous dash of daring. Look for more reviews of great biographies in the coming weeks.

Making Money Is in Vogue

Say what you will about Anna Wintour, she and her crew know how to make a buck. In a day when magazines have been winnowed down to the strongest survivors, she always seems to make headlines (and bottom lines).

This week, every time I turn around I see another newsbreaking item about Vogue. On CBS' Sunday Morning, Anna and Company were interviewed about the new Vogue archives, where you can access every single page of every issue in the magazine's 120-year history. Click here to see more. There is just one catch: You'll need to pay $1,575 to access the archive vault. Wow.
Then there is the new book, Vogue: The Covers from Abrams. The $50 tome showcases 300 iconic covers from 1892 to today. My favorites are posted below, but you can see more here.
Finally, just in case that wasn't enough, there's the Meryl Streep cover. Evidently, the actress is the oldest cover girl in Vogue's history. Savvy move, Ms. Wintour. Streep has street cred with the younger crowd, thanks to roles in movies like Mama Mia and Julie & Julia, and she is definitely a hit with (ahem) more seasoned folks. We'll see if the January issue becomes one of the top-sellers for Vogue; but regardless of that, the many extensions of the magazine's brand should help keep the fashion book (and La Wintour) in the forefront for years to come.

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Print Power

There's nothing like the resounding whomp as a big, fat, healthy magazine hits your desk. It makes me absolutely giddy to see cover lines like "758 pages." Are we back to the good old days? If you have seen the September Vogue, you might think so.

It is exactly 758 pages, and it weighs in at a hefty 3.5 pounds. Yes, pounds. Can you imagine the postage bill per issue? But don't cry for them ― they have so many advertisers in the issue that you don't hit editorial until after the 200th page. There also are enough blow-ins and fold-outs that it's actually hard to turn the pages.
But I love it. I adore the scent of ink (when I can smell it over the hundreds of perfume samples). I love to feel the paper the way a Bergdorf's associate smooths cashmere scarves ― and I can tell you the difference between 80-pound and 100-pound paper in a second.
I love pixels and picas. I can throw around terms like "CMYK" and "process color" with the best of them. I like to debate saddle vs. perfect binding, and I love dipping into the well. If you know what I mean, you're in the print club. If you don't understand what I'm talking about, poor you.
Once you have ink in your veins, it's hard to remove it. I am not so old school that I don't see the allure of the new toys in the digital age, but I am enjoying the resurgence of the print world and the celebrations of the written word.
My favorite example right now is the new Pilcro collection of clothes at Anthropologie. The line has found some fun names for its pants ― Serif, Stet, and Superscript. Makes me want to get out my red china marker and go to work.